BYE BEEF, All US JBS Beef Plants Close over Cyberattack
Posted on 06/01/2021
As a result of a ransomware cyberattack that targeted some of JBS S.A.’s servers over the weekend, all JBS SA beef plants in the U.S. have been shut. Specifically the attack included the North American and Australian IT systems.
Under the Biden administration, foreign cyberattacks are increasingly attacking U.S. companies that have a material impact on consumers.
JBS S.A. is a Brazilian company that is the largest meat processing company in the world, producing factory processed beef, chicken and pork, and also selling by-products from the processing of these meats. J&F Investimentos S.A. is owned by the Batista family. J&F Investimentos is a major shareholder of JBS S.A. BNDES Participações SA, a unit of the Brazilian Development Bank, is also a major shareholder of JBS.
In August 31, 2010 JBS had acquired 64% of Pilgrim’s Pride for a bid of US$ 800 million. In 2015, JBS bought the U.S. pork business of Cargill Inc. for US$ 1.45 billion.
Ransom
JBS USA paid US$ 11 million in ransom to the criminals responsible for the cyberattack that disrupted operations across North America and Australia. JBS Brazil made the ransom payment was made in Bitcoin.